Moments Through Time
by MorganMDW
Summary: A look at defining moments of the ever changing relationship between The Viper and the woman in charge of keeping his demons at bay. Randy Orton/OC Friendship.
1. Randy Orton was Seething

**Before anyone gets alarmed at the fact that I am posting _another _story, I want you to know that this project will be collection of stories about Randy Orton and his relationship with my OC Charlotte McNeal. The reason I am doing this is mostly for me to refine and perfect my writing style, something that I most definitely need to work on before I attempt to finish my other stories. I just chose wrestling because I love it and I always have scenarios popping in my head as I watch. So this will be a way for me to get those out and hopefully get some helpful criticism along the way. I hope you enjoy!**

**I own absolutely nothing except Charlotte aka Charlie. WWE owns everything else. Randy Orton "owns" his wife and daughter. I guess... that sounds weird.**

_Elimination Chamber 2011_

He had told her not to come out with him and stand at ringside. He told her it was too dangerous and too brutal of a match for her to see up close. She told him that she would continue to do her job no matter what kind of match he was in. She could handle it.

And now here he was, thirty minutes later, staring at her from inside his pod, seething. How had it come to this? Sure Punk had tried his hand at berating her and intimidating her before, but that was to be expected. She usually never batted an eye, only showing that he had shaken her in the privacy of her locker room. Punk had proven time and time again that he was a coward, using his Nexus cronies to help him fight his battles and talking down to those who did not follow his cause. But he was smart and he was vicious. Punk had slowly but surely shown the world that Randy Orton did in fact have one weakness. CM Punk showed that through all of Orton's promises that he would be less forgiving and would show no mercy to anyone, there was one person in the WWE that he would protect. His fiery haired manager, Charlie.

Now everyone backstage knew that there was no romantic relationship between Randy Orton and Charlotte McNeal. He was head over heels for his wife Sam and his baby girl, and Charlie had too much respect and dignity for herself and for Randy. She did, however, have one thing from him that he almost never gave. His trust. Charlie had gained his trust, and on some level, his friendship. Sure their relationship had always been rocky. She was scared out of her mind when Vince McMahon had told her that she would be the manager of the brooding Viper and though she had never met him personally, she wasn't deaf. She had heard about his mood swings and his inability to let others into his small group of friends. The only other person that she knew of that had his friendship was his on-screen enemy, John Cena. So it was only natural that she could hardly speak when they were first introduced, only managing out a small, quiet "Hello". He sneered at her.

Over time, she slowly got used to his erratic moods, making herself scarce when he was angry. There were only a handful of times when he would vent his anger at her, and she would be lying if she said that she hadn't been scared. It wasn't until she finally yelled back that he started to respect her and not treat her as if she were in the way of his career. His surprise after being yelled at had slowly turned into a smirk. "I guess you're not timid as I thought you were." Each week brought Randy more surprises as Charlie slowly started to gain confidence around him and her position in the WWE. A shouting match with Maryse here, pulling Alex Riley off of the side of the ring there. She was getting bolder, and Randy liked that. You wouldn't survive long in this business if you were afraid of confrontation.

But for all of her newfound confidence, Charlie was still just as scared now as she was before. Only this time it was not Randy who she was afraid of.

Charlotte had walked out with Randy like she had countless other times before, walking slightly in front of him so that the camera men could capture Randy's most intimidating look of fearlessness and self-confidence as he slowly made his way towards the demonic structure known as the Elimination Chamber. Charlotte stayed on the outside, watching as Randy entered the structure. She fingered the chains surrounding the Chamber, imagining the type of pain and torture that they could inflict. She made her way over to stand behind the pod that Randy was locked in, watching him as he surveyed the Chamber. R-Truth and John Cena came out next, pumping up the crowd with their signature entrances and unique styles. Randy turned his head, looking down at her. "If any of this happens to spill out of the ring, get out of here". Charlotte nodded, signaling that she would. They waited a beat before the opening riff of "This Fire Burns" by Killswitch Engaged blasted through the arena, followed by the nearly deafening boos of the crowd. CM Punk made his way out of the curtains, kneeling at the top of the stage before making his slow descent down the ramp. Randy only had eyes for the man that had been the bane of his existence for the past few months, but Charlotte was on the look out for the other members of the Nexus, remembering all of the moments in the past when they had struck out of nowhere. Not seeing any other members in sight, she turned her attention back to the men inside the Chamber. Randy was still staring at Punk, waiting for him as he took his time walking down the ramp. R-Truth was bouncing on the balls of his feet, trying to shake out the nerves from being inside the hellish structure. Cena seemed to be trying to focus and get himself into the right mentality in order to compete, but as Charlotte looked closer, she saw a look of … confusion? And outrage? Charlotte looked in the direction that Cena's eyes were trained towards and immediately saw the cause of his concern.

The three remaining members of Nexus had appeared.

Charlotte watched as Michael McGillicutty, David Otunga, and Mason Ryan made their way towards the ring from different parts of the crowd. Randy whirled around in his cage after hearing the crowds' jeers grow louder and Charlotte's frantic "Randy!" She watched with wide eyes as Mason Ryan hopped over the barricade nearest to her, before locking eyes with him. "Get her!" was heard over the crowd as Punk barked out his orders, spurring the large man into action. Charlotte didn't think twice as she turned away from Ryan and sprinted towards the ramp, leaving her signature blue peep-toed pumps behind her. The Nexus had all made their way to the outside of the ring, blocking any means of escape through the crowd. She attempted to jump around Punk, who was standing next to the barricades nearest to the ramp, by planting one foot on the steps leading up to the ring and launching herself around him. Her hopes of escaping were dashed as the muscular arms of David Otunga caught her in mid-flight. She lashed out, a mess of flailing elbows and legs, trying to struggle out of his grasp. She heard a satisfying curse as a foot connected with a stomach and a yell of surprise as an elbow connected with a face. She was forcefully passed off to Punk who successfully pinned her arms to her sides, though she still continued to kick. Ryan and Otunga forced the referees out of the way as Punk and McGillicutty attempted to drag her into the Chamber. The other men could only watch as the Nexus forced her into the last remaining pod, closely followed by CM Punk. The three Nexus members quickly left the chamber, smirking at the occupants of the pods. Charlotte noted with grim satisfaction that Mason Ryan was sporting a new bruise under his left eye. R-Truth and Cena stared in disbelief at the cruel act that had just unfolded before them, a look of shock evident on R-Truth's features while disgust registered on Cena's handsome face. Orton was yelling obscenities and trying to claw his way out of the pod. "You let her go you sick son of a bitch! She's not apart of this!"

Charlotte attempted to flatten herself against the chain-link wall of the Chamber, trying not to touch the man who currently occupied the pod with her. Punk smirked at Randy, reaching behind him and grabbing Charlotte by the arm. He yanked her in front of him, pulling her flesh against his torso, a tattooed arm holding her tightly into place. Red scratches marred her arm from where they were dragged against the chain-link, a torn piece of material from her dark purple button up blouse caught in the links.

"She is apart of this Randal, and you have no one to blame but yourself. You displayed your weakness to the world and I am going to use this woman against you!" Charlotte shivered as she felt his words sink into her skin.

Randy Orton was seething.

The final two men finally made their way down the ramp. King Sheamus didn't spare Charlotte a second glance as he made his way into the Chamber. John Morrison gave her a look of concern as he passed Punk's pod, but she shook her head, silently telling him to focus on the task at hand, not her. The referee signaled for the bell and the two men advanced on each other, their old rivalry suddenly renewed. Only half of Charlotte's attention was on the match, the other half worrying about what Randy would do once he was released from his temporary prison. At this point, she didn't care how badly he hurt Punk like she would have cared when she first started as his manager. The whole point of her managing him was to keep him from putting any more Superstars on the shelf. No, now she was worried about his mentality. All of the mental preparation for this match was shattered. Randy would only run on his anger, and that left him open to making a mistake that could cost him the match and his chance to headline Wrestlemania. She tried not to look at him, tried not to show him how scared she really was, hoping that he couldn't hear her heart beating as it tried to kick its way out of her chest. That would only fuel his anger. Punk, much to her dismay, had other plans.

Punk tightened his grip around her stomach as he used his free hand to grab her chin, forcing her to look at Randy. "Look at him," he whispered in her ear, his hot breath making her skin crawl. "That right there is the look of a mentally disturbed man. Do you know who caused that? You did. You were supposed to keep him from harming anyone else, and now one of my guys is sitting at home, wondering if he will ever be able to step back into the ring. You failed. Hell, you even helped him." Charlotte could clearly hear the mockery in his voice but she knew that he was right. She practically cheered Randy on as he kicked Husky Harris in the skull. The guy was a creep and she was sick of the Nexus ruining Randy's chances of regaining the WWE Championship. But in doing so, she had allowed Randy to revisit the monster that was inside of him, thirsting for blood and the next victim to eliminate. She stared at Randy, watching his usually handsome features contort into a look of pure rage. That monster was bursting to get out.

Randy's icy blue eyes grew dark with hatred as he stared at the image before him. Punk was whispering in her ear, the noise of the crowd and the two men battling in the ring drowning out the sound of his voice. He watched as Charlotte's jaw clenched, a sure sign that she was trying to keep her anger in check. He saw the fear swim through her dark blue irises. He always told her that showing emotion was a weakness. She always told hin that it showed that you were human. Now the only emotion he showed was rage and frustration. He was going to tear CM Punk apart.

After a few more agonizingly long minutes, the countdown for the next Superstar to enter the Elimination Chamber began. Charlotte held her breath, silently praying that Punk would be the first man out so that she would finally be able to get away from him. She counted down the last 10 seconds along with the capacity crowd in her head, waiting for the buzzer. The loud noise echoed throughout the arena, silencing most of the noise from the crowd. The air was still as the first pod opened.

The Viper was let out.

Randy shot a smug smirk towards Punk, clearly satisfied that he was out before the Strait-Edge Superstar. Now all he had to do was bide his time and the second Punk was out, he would attack. Charlotte glanced up to see the dark scowl across Punk's face, feeling him fidget with anticipation. His patience was running low. He wanted to beat Randy Orton so savagely that there was no chance of him going to Wrestlemania, or continuing his career. Charlotte watched as the three men in the ring traded blow after blow. She could see Randy struggling as he tried to reign in his anger, but every hit that he made seemed to be meant for Punk. He punched harder, slammed with more impact, slithered around the ring at an alarmingly fast pace. He focused his anger towards his two opponents, barely registering the next countdown or the buzzer that followed it.

Again Charlotte and the crowd waited with bated breath for the second pod to open and release the man inside. From the corner of her eye she saw the door to the pod she was in begin to open. Punk shoved her back against the chain-link wall as he moved towards the door. But it was stuck. Punk tried to pry it open, forcing himself between the sliding glass, only to succeed in getting himself stuck. Charlotte called out to Randy, bringing his attention to the helpless man before her. Randy's head snapped into her direction, along with Punk's. Randy smirked, an air of triumph surrounding him when he realized that his prey was caught. Punk looked at her, horrified that she had called Randy's attention to the fact that he couldn't escape. His attempts to remove himself from the pod doubled, but proved to be futile as the Viper was already upon him, landing punches on every available surface of the Nexus leader. Orton then grabbed Punk by his arms, dragging him out of the pod. Punk grimaced in pain as the edge of the doors ripped at the skin of his leg, leaving three bleeding cuts along his upper leg. He stumbled to his feet, only to be given a thunderous RKO on the steel floor, the impact shaking the humongous structure. Randy wasted no time going for the pin, making the first elimination of the night.

Charlotte let out a shout of joy as the referee counted the one-two-three, signaling to the announcer that CM Punk was eliminated. Randy stood over the fallen man, partially upset with the fact that he had put Punk away so quickly. But this was not the time to exact revenge, not when there were still four other men to go through. He would exact his revenge the next night on RAW. Charlotte's joy and Randy's musings were cut short, however, by the distinctive double beeps and flickering lights that had plagued Monday Night RAW for the past eight months. The Anonymous General Manager had sent an email.

All movement in the ring stopped as Michael Cole rose from his seat behind the commentary table, announcing with flourish that the General Manager had something to say. Charlotte let out a huff of annoyance as Cole took his time, drawing out each word of "And I quote" before reading the email to the crowd. Her eyes grew wide with disbelief as Cole went on to announce that CM Punk would be allowed to stay in the match as it was viewed as unfair that he was never able to properly begin the match. Punk smirked up at Randy, pushing himself back towards his pod. He stumbled back in once the referees had pried open the sliding door, nearly crushing Charlotte against the opposite side. With a growl of frustration, Randy turned back to Morrison and Sheamus, attacking both men with renewed fervor. Charlotte watched the match with impatience as Cena, followed by R-Truth, was let out of their pods. She jumped at the sound of Sheamus' boot colliding with R-Truths face, eliminating the rapping Superstar. Randy continued to trade blows with his opponents, going toe to toe with his oldest enemy, John Cena, as Sheamus and Morrison pummeled each other.

Finally, the last countdown began. Punk readied himself to exit the pod, locking eyes with the Viper as the buzzer sounded. That was where Orton's made his anger-fueled mistake. With his attention fixed on Punk, he didn't see Sheamus as the pale man launched himself off of the ropes until it was too late. With a strangled cry, Charlotte watched as Randy's face was met with a Brogue Kick, leaving his body lifeless on the mat. Punk, the always watching vulture of a man, swooped in, pulling Randy onto his shoulders and delivering a sharp GTS to his temple. Punk found Charlotte's eyes as he made the pin. Randy Orton was eliminated. Randy Orton was not main-eventing Wrestlemania. Randy Orton was once again stopped from regaining the WWE Championship by CM Punk and the Nexus.

The referees were made their way to Orton as he was coming to, telling him that he had to leave the Chamber. He pushed them off as he slowly made his way to his feet. As soon as Charlotte thought she had a safe shot, she flew out of the pod, landing at Randy's side. She led him out of the cage as he held a hand to his forehead, applying pressure to where Punk's knee met his head. Charlotte was silent as they made their way up the ramp, glancing back only once to see Punk watching their retreating forms.

"That son of a bitch is going to pay," Randy ground out through clenched teeth.

Randy Orton was seething.

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**Reviews and constructive criticism welcome.**


	2. Inspiring Words

**New chapter, slightly shorter. I hope I caught all of my mistakes.**

**I do not own anything or anyone affiliated with the WWE. I own Charlotte so don't steal her.**

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_June 2010_

The hallway was mostly silent as Charlotte McNeal made her way backstage, the clicking of her blue peep-toe pumps breaking the silence. She nodded to the few crew members that crossed her path but kept moving forward, looking for the man that had turned her life upside down over the course of the past month and a half. She clutched the match schedule tighter as she thought about how much her life had changed since Mr. McMahon had told her that she would be managing the one and only Randy Orton. What had started out as a very rocky business relationship was slowly starting to smooth out. At least, Charlotte thought it was. Who knew that yelling at him would get him to back off. He wasn't ignoring her existence like he tried to before _and_ he had finally stopped sneering at her. That was an improvement, right?

Charlotte continued to walk down hallway after hallway, slightly exasperated that she couldn't find the Viper. Sure they weren't BBFs but couldn't he at least have the common decency to not disappear after he asked her to get something? She finally caved in and started asking various members of the backstage crew where Randy Orton had gone. They all seemed to agree that he was seen walking toward catering, not but two minutes before. Thanking the crew, Charlotte readjusted her course and picked up her speed, not wanting to miss him and have to chase the man all over the arena.

As Charlotte got closer to the catering area, she began hearing raised voices. Being nosey was always a bad habit of hers, so naturally she went to investigate, momentarily forgetting about her chase to give Randy the schedule. As she neared the confrontation, she could pick out two very distinct voices trading barbs back and forth. Maryse's French-Canadian accent was always easy to pick out of a crowd, coupled with the fact that Charlotte thought it was one of the most annoying sounds in the world along with nails on a chalkboard and Vickie Guerrero's "Excuse Me!". The other woman turned out to be Eve Torres, a woman who had been the first Diva on RAW to befriend Charlotte after her move from working behind the scenes on Smackdown!. Charlotte rolled her eyes as she heard Maryse practically screech that she would regain her title at the next pay-per-view, Fatal 4-Way, and that Eve was a fluke champion. Blah blah blah. If Charlotte got a nickel, well, you know the saying.

Charlotte sidled up to the two women, stopping by Eve's side and turning to face the blonde beauty. "Is there a problem here?" she asked, the question directed at Maryse, feigning sincerity. Under normal circumstance, Charlotte would not inject herself into an argument, especially against a woman who could probably beat her in a fight, but lately, circumstances had not been normal. On one hand, she was still riding high from taking an angry Randy Orton down a notch, something that very few people got away with. On the other hand, Charlotte disliked Maryse. A lot.

When Charlotte first began working in the WWE, she was surprised by how many of the Superstars and Divas were actually like the "characters" they portray on TV. Many of the heels were actually rude and treated those that they deemed as being below them like crap. Maybe it was toned down backstage, but their egos definitely ran high. On the flip side, most of the baby faces were nice guys and girls. Maryse and Eve proved to be no different. Charlotte had had her first encounter with Maryse one week after she had moved to RAW, and she had not been impressed. Maryse was rude, loud, and had a bad case of self-entitlement. The first thing that popped into Charlotte's mind was spoiled witch. She was a bully and had no problem throwing a temper tantrum to get what she wanted.

Charlotte was pulled out of her thoughts by the blonde's scoff. "Excuse me," she began, her overpowering accent grating on Charlotte's ears, "but I was not talking to you. You have no business butting in to this conversation."

Charlotte put her hands up in a sign of surrender but a small smirk graced her pink lips. "Sorry, no need to get defensive. I was just checking to make sure everything was alright with you two. I mean, when the whole building can hear your 'discussion', it kind of becomes everybody's business. You and I both know how fast rumors travel around this place and I just thought that I would take it upon myself to make sure you don't embarrass yourself any further by getting into a fight with Eve". Maryse let out a humorless laugh. "Ha ha, you think you are so witty. It's cute, really. Before you came to RAW you were just a nameless face on Smackdown!, and now you think can come over and act like you run this place! Non. Being affiliated with Randy Orton has not changed your status. You are still just some errand girl, and that's all you will ever be". Maryse paused for a beat before continuing on, her accented voice beginning to rise. "I, on the other hand, will continue to dominate the Diva's division and I will regain that title."

"Whoa whoa whoa! Clam down!" Charlotte cut in, stopping Maryse's tirade. She turned her head towards Eve. "Did she just cut a promo on me?" she asked in a loud whisper. The other woman just smiled and shrugged her shoulders. Looking back at Maryse with a serious expression, Charlotte began again. "With all honesty though, you really need to back off. Sure we don't get along but you don't have to go all 'high school bitch' on me". Maryse's nostrils flared at Charlotte's description. Charlotte continued on. "I know I may be slightly biased against you but you have got to deflate your ego. You are getting yourself more enemies every day with you rants and temper tantrums and quite frankly, I don't think you would be able to defend yourself if you get called out by the other Divas. I don't doubt your skill in the ring but a lot of these ladies are just as good as you, if not better, and if they decide they've had enough of you and your mouth, you're gone."

Maryse stood silently, slightly dumbfounded at the words that had come out of the shorter woman's mouth. Charlotte was not known as someone to speak her mind outright. Sure she had her opinions but she hardly voiced them, and certainly never voiced them in such an assertive manner. Narrowing her eyes, the blonde finally started to speak. "Don't you ever suggest that I am not better than these other so-called Divas," she spit out, glaring at both women before her. "I am the best Diva that the WWE has ever had—"

"No you are not!" Charlotte let out, her voice echoing in through the hallways. The small crowd of backstage workers, Superstars, and Divas that had slowly gathered looked at each other with wide eyes. It was the first time that they had heard Charlotte raise her voice at someone, not knowing of her argument with Randy the week before. "You are not the best woman that has ever passed through those ropes. Women like Chyna, Trish Stratus, Lita, Molly Holly; they all had more skill than you and certainly more class than you! You are not the best and you won't be until you stop strutting around and get control of your inflated head. Once you do that, then you can improve and maybe, just maybe, you can one day be added to that list of women, but until you do, you will be nothing but a self-centered bitch!"

Before Charlotte, could take a breath, Maryse shot towards her, yelling and cursing in French to the red-head's face. Eve tried to pull Maryse back but was not making any progress as the French-Canadian kept propelling herself forward. Charlotte turned her face away, feeling the other woman's breath on her cheek, before taking a step back and leveling her with a cold glare. Once Maryse stopped her shouting, Charlotte spoke in a dangerously low voice. "Don't you _ever_ insult me in another language again. Call me ignorant or whatever other word you want, but I will not tolerate that. If you want to insult me and call me every derogatory name in the book, then have the guts to do it in English".

Maryse just watched her, breathing heavily from shouting and trying to fight off Eve's attempts to hold her back. She finally stood up straight and disentangled her arm from Eve's grasp. With a final hard shove on Charlotte's chest, she turned her heel and stalked away. The hallway was quiet, no one seeming to breathe. Finally, one by one, the other people dispersed, making their way to tell those who had not been there about Charlotte McNeal verbally taking down Maryse.

Eve helped Charlotte regain her balance, and then faced the young manager. "Are you ok? That was amazing. I didn't know you had it in you. Well I thought you did, but I sure wasn't expecting that". Charlotte was brought out of her daze by the other woman's ramblings. "I'm fine," she said. "Just a little shaken up. I'll be ok. Go get ready for your match, don't worry about me." Eve nodded. "Alright then. I'll see you after the show." She turned and left in the opposite direction of Maryse, heading towards the locker rooms.

Charlotte took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, only to be startled by a deep voice from behind her. "I see I'm not the only one to incur the wrath of Charlotte". Charlotte spun around, her eyes landing on the smirking face of Randy Orton. She let out a shaky laugh. "I especially liked part about only being able to improve if you check your ego. Very inspiring words. I'll have to keep that in mind when I want to improve" he said, his smirk turning into a hint of a smile. "Shut up," she said, a small smile of her own growing on her lips. He cocked an eyebrow and gestured to the now crumpled paper in her hands. "I see you got the schedule". Charlotte looked down, blushing, fingering the piece of paper. Randy walked towards her, putting a hand between her shoulder blades, steering her towards catering. "Come on. Let's go get you some food and get you calmed down. You'll need your head back by the time word of this little chat gets around". And would she ever.

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**Reviews make me happy and constructive criticism helps me improve!**


	3. Injury on the Job

_SummerSlam 2010_

"Move! Get out of the way and find me a doctor!"

Randy Orton shoved his way through the crowd that had gathered backstage after his match with Sheamus, trying to find the doctor to check out Charlotte's bloodied hand. He held onto her right hand as she cradled her left hand close to her chest, blood dripping down her forearm. Her adrenaline from being ringside had worn off and she could now feel the pain caused by the gash on her left middle finger.

A tech ran off to warn the doctor that Randy and Charlotte were on their way.

"Randy, slow down for a second," Charlotte softly pleaded.

Randy stopped for a moment to let Charlotte take a rest after pulling her through the backstage area. He watched as she took off her blue peep-toe pumps, surveying the blood that had stained her fitted white t-shirt and skinny blue jeans.

"Here, give those to me," he gently commanded, offering his hand out to accept the shoes. She passed the shoes to him, giving him a small smile of thanks. Noting the paleness and queasy look on her face, Randy resumed his search for the doctor with Charlotte in tow. He didn't think she would appreciate it if he let her throw up or pass out in the backstage area where everyone could see.

Randy finally found the door marked WWE Medical and held it open for Charlotte. Dr. Andrews was ready and waiting for them. He led Charlotte to a chair and immediately began cleaning the blood off of her hand and fingers so he could inspect the wound.

Randy pulled up another chair and sat down on Charlotte's right side.

"What the hell happened out there Charlie?" he asked.

Charlotte winced as the doctor inspected her hand. "I was trying to keep Sheamus from bringing that chair into the ring so he couldn't get disqualified. I grabbed it, he pulled and my finger got caught on a sharp piece of metal".

Randy silently seethed at the way that his match had ended. Sheamus had in fact gotten disqualified and had thus held on to the WWE Championship. Orton had attacked the Irishman as soon as the referee had called for the bell and ended the match. He would have beaten the man to a pulp if he hadn't seen Charlotte enter the ring. The sight of her blood on her hand made him stop his pursuit of vengeance and lead her backstage so she could get medical attention.

Randy was broken from his reverie by a knock on the door, announcing the presence of his good friend John Cena. Charlotte looked up from watching the doctor clean her hand. "Hey John, come in," she said.

"You alright there?" he asked. "All that blood looked pretty nasty".

"I'm ok," she replied, giving the man a smile of reassurance.

"Well Ms. McNeal," Dr. Andrews started, catching everyone's attention, "looks like you'll need some stitches. Let me get some equipment and we can get you out of here in no time".

Randy chuckled at the look of apprehension on Charlotte's face as she watched the doctor pull out a needle and thread. "First time getting stitches?" he asked.

"Yea, it is," she replied, watching the doctor warily. "Not my first injury but definitely my first time getting stitches. I'm more of a breaking bones and dislocating knees kind of girl".

John lightly laughed from his spot leaning up against the counter in front of her. "So then this is not your first injury?"

"Nope. My first injury on the job though".

John laughed again. "I would get used to it. Our line of work comes with a few hazards". He checked the clock on the wall and straightened back up. "I've got to go get ready for my match. Get some rest and let that cut heal," he said as he made his way to the door.

John left just Dr. Andrews gave Charlotte a local anesthetic for her finger. She resolutely looked away from her hand as the doctor began to stitch her finger, letting her eyes fall anywhere except for her wound.

"You should go shower and change," she said to Randy after a few moments of silence.

Randy shook his head. "No I can wait. Besides if I see Sheamus I'll probably knock his teeth in".

"Are you sure? You kind of stink," she teased.

Before Randy could retort, Dr. Andrews announced that he was finished. He wrapped Charlotte's finger in gauze and after giving her instructions on how to properly clean the wound, sent Randy and Charlotte on their way.

SummerSlam was nearly over as they their way back to Randy's locker room. Randy showered while Charlotte changed clothes and packed up their things. She was ready to go as soon as he walked out of the bathroom dressed in street clothes.

The pair left the arena in silence, both individuals lost in thought.

Charlotte knew Randy would not stop going after Sheamus until he got his revenge. All she had to do was convince the Anonymous GM to give Randy another title shot, a feat that was easier said than done.


End file.
